The Colors of Spring
by Smenzer
Summary: Iolaus searches for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!


Title: The Colors of Spring

Author: Smenzer

Rating: G

Pairing: None: Young Hercules

Archive: Yes, please. Let me know if you take it, OK?

Teaser: Will Iolaus find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Or something better?

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to Studios USA or 

Whoever owns the Rights to Young Hercules. And Skittles and the saying "Taste the Rainbow" belong to whoever owns the Rights to Skittles Candies. This is just for fun. No money is being made.

Hercules splashed in the mud as he trod through the rain. He wiped the water out of his eyes and pushed his soaking wet hair away from his face. The sky rumbled and lightning flashed, but it was in the distance. Jason and Iolaus walked along side him and were just as soaked as he was. They were on the way back to the Academy from Hercules' mother's house when the sudden thunderstorm had caught them out in the middle of nowhere.

"Hey! I think it's finally stopping." Iolaus said happily as he walked through a green but soggy field. Mud and pools of water squished up from the grass and formed puddles around his boots. 

"How can you tell?" Jason asked as he frowned at the dreary weather around him. "I'm cold, hungry, soaking wet and there's mud in my boots. Right now I just want to get to the Academy where it's dry."

"Well, the sky is getting lighter." Iolaus explained. He stopped in the field and stared up at the sky above. The dark clouds moved rapidly toward the east and were replaced by a pale blue sky. A few drops of rain splattered on his face but the heavy rains were over. The sun appeared and shone weakly down on the three cadets.Iolaus shook out his wet curly hair and sighed. His eyes widened and he pointed at something in the sky.

"Look! It's a rainbow!" Iolaus shouted with excitement

"So?" Jason said as he stopped to stare at it for a moment. Then he plodded on toward the Academy. "Come on, we still have a long way to go."

"But it's a rainbow!" Iolaus raced in front of Jason. He jumped up and down, waving his arms. "Look, it ends right over that hill! If we hurry we can get the pot of gold!"

Jason bent over and slapped his wet leather-clad thigh, laughing. "Don't tell me you actually believe that! Iolaus, that's a kid's story!"

"Maybe you have all the gold you could ever want, but I don't. I could really use it." Iolaus bounced around and glanced up at the faint rainbow hanging across the sky. It was still there. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Yeah. It'll be fun!" Hercules agreed as he slapped Iolaus' wet arm and took off.

"Hey! That's my Gold!" Iolaus complained as he raced after Hercules. 

"Wait for me!" Jason ran after his two friends.

Hercules dashed up the wet hill and his boots slipped several times on the slick grass. By the time he reached the top, he was covered in a thin film of mud. He stopped at the top and gasped in amazement. Iolaus and Jason reached his side and skidded to a halt.

Just below them at the bottom of the hill the rainbow touched the ground. The three friends hurried down the slick hill. They slipped on a large patch of mud and rolled down the rest of the way in a tangle of arms and legs. Hercules crawled to his knees and stared at the rainbow. It was right in front of him. He was so close he wanted to reach out and touch it. The colors sparkled and danced. There was red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. 

Iolaus stumbled to his feet and bolted forward. He dove at the rainbow's bottom where it disappeared into the wet grass. "Hey! Where's the gold?"

"I tried to tell you, Iolaus." Jason said as he got to his feet and walked up to the rainbow. The Crown Prince of Corinth glanced down at his mud-covered clothes and frowned. "That's a kid's story. It's just something pretty to look at."

"I didn't think anyone ever found the end of a rainbow." Hercules stated. He stared at it in awe.

"Maybe the gold is *inside* the rainbow." Iolaus shoved his hands inside the sparkling colors. He opened his eyes wide. "Hey! Something is falling into my hands! It must be the gold!"

"What?!" Hercules asked in surprise. 

"Look!" Iolaus pulled his hands out and stared in shock. "What the heck are these? Where's my gold?"

His hands were filled with little round things. They were brightly colored, the same bright colors as the rainbow. Iolaus picked a yellow one up and sniffed at it. Then he popped it into his mouth.

"Don't eat that! You don't know what it is!" Hercules warned his friend. But it was too late. Iolaus had already chewed it and swallowed.

"These things taste good! They're sweet and tangy!" Iolaus dumped his on the grass and reached in for more. "Come on, hurry and get some before the rainbow fades away!"

Hercules and Jason shrugged, but did as Iolaus asked. They had a large pile of the brightly colored but tasty objects before the rainbow faded away. As the rainbow faded, they heard a mysterious voice. 

"Taste the Rainbow! Skittles!"

"Hmm, I guess this Skittles must be the God of Rainbows." Iolaus said around a mouthful of the colored disks. He pushed his wet blonde curls out of his eyes and left a trail of colors on his face and hair. He turned to look at Hercules. "Say, is this Skittles a relative of yours? Do you think you can get him to give us some more of these things? They taste good!"

Hercules and Jason laughed so hard they fell over onto the grass. The Demigod laughed until his stomach ached. "I don't know, Iolaus. I never heard of him."

Iolaus pulled off his shirt and piled all the colored disks onto it. More colors rubbed off onto his hands from the wet candies. He tied it up and grinned. He had left a tiny opening and he reached in to grab another disk. This time it was a green one. "Well, I'm ready to go!"

The three friends laughed as they headed toward the Academy with their amazing gift from the rainbow. 


End file.
